1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to grid computing systems and more particularly pertains to a system for restricting the use of a grid computer by a grid computing system based upon various user-determined parameters of use and policy filters.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Grid computing, which is sometimes referred to as distributed processing computing, has been proposed and explored as a means for bringing together a large number of computers of wide ranging locations and often disparate types for the purpose of utilizing idle computer processor time and/or unused storage by those needing processing or storage beyond their capabilities. While the development of public networks such as the Internet has facilitated communication between a wide range of computers all over the world, grid computing aims to facilitate not only communication between computers but also to coordination of processing by the computers in a useful manner. Typically, jobs are submitted to a managing entity of the grid system, and the job is executed by one or more of the grid computers making up the computing grid.
However, while the concept of grid computing holds great promise, the execution of the concept has not been without its challenges. One challenge associated with grid computing is operating a grid system while respecting both the interests of the customers submitting jobs to the grid system and the interests of the users or owners of the computers of the computing grid system.
Much of the early development of grid computing occurred in research institutions, and many initial implementations of grid computing systems involved eleemosynary purposes such as advancing research in detecting signs of intelligent life in outer space, mapping the human genome, simulating testing of various cancer drugs, and other charitable causes. Computer users or owners (hereinafter computer users) voluntarily enlisted their computers in a single purpose computing grid system in order to advance these causes, usually without any significant compensation above and beyond the satisfaction that they were participating in this noble work. These single purpose grids have encouraged a relatively large number of computer users to participate, in part because the grids have been formed for a single purpose and the computer user has been aware of the common purpose of all of the jobs submitted to the user's computer.
However, recent trends in the development of grid computing are directed to applying grid computing concepts to commercial applications. Grid customers with computing projects that have significant amount of data processing and/or data storage requirements may utilize a commercial computing grid system for these projects, and the computing grid system may receive some type of compensation for the use. Potential customers for commercial computing grids may have a wide variety of identities and a wide variety of purposes for using the computing grid. Thus, it may become prohibitive to efficient grid operation to identify each grid customer and the nature of each grid job to the user of each grid computer in order to obtain the user's advance permission prior to requesting the performance of the grid job by the user's computer.
As the purposes of grid computing networks moves away from the more eleemosynary purposes to the more commercial, at least some resistance to participation in the computing grids may be anticipated that could significantly impede the growth of the computing grid. This may be due in part to the reluctance of computer users to turn over their surplus processor time and storage space to a computing grid system for purposes that are not immediately known to them, for purposes that may be undesirable to them, and for the purposes of customers which may be undesirable to the computer user.
Further, greater participation in the grid systems is likely if potential grid participants can be given greater assurance that the performance of grid jobs can be performed on the user's computer in a manner that is unobtrusive as possible so that the primary work of the computer is not significantly negatively affected.
In view of the foregoing, it is believed that there is a need for a system that balances the interests of the customers of the grid system with the interests of the users of the grid computers.